Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 with Gun Wii

5 rates

6.7

Description

The game gets pretty confusing in some ways. Sometimes it feels like a first person shooting game, and sometimes it has more of an arcade feel to it. The only thing it absolutely never feels like is a hunting game, as there isn't any hunting in the conventional sense of the word.

6.1

Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 for the Wii is somewhat controversial. Among the mainstream community, the game would be considered misnamed at best, and unethical at worst. It doesn't feature hunting; it features simply slaughtering animals as they come at you, and there is everything from hyenas to cape buffalo to elephants to big cats. In the gaming community, Dangerous Hunts 2013 is thought to be doing too much and too little at the same time. It feels, at times, like it is trying to be several genres at once, and the graphics for the game fail at close range, with polygons being easily visible at times, and animal movement being stiff and awkward at close range or while running.

Most levels for the game are pretty simple. You move to your objective, usually a boss animal or action piece. Occasionally there are vehicle levels wherein you're in one place shooting at everything that gets close, as you are driven along. As mentioned above, gameplay features killing big animals in droves as they try to attack you. There are big cats such as lions and leopards, elephants, rhinos and all manner of other wildlife.

The game gets pretty confusing in some ways. Sometimes it feels like a first person shooting game, and sometimes it has more of an arcade feel to it. The only thing it absolutely never feels like is a hunting game, as there isn't any hunting in the conventional sense of the word. In that way it's a bit disingenuous. Even reviewers that view the game in a positive light admitted that you should know what you're buying, and the title is deceptive when it comes to giving a hint of what the game is about.

Some versions of the game also come with a controller/gun that is supposed to be used while you hunt. The gun largely works well, although it requires setting up a sensor bar near your TV (and no, the Kinect doesn't work for this) and finding the perfect height to use the weapon. Also, using the gun is in many ways a hinderance, especially when it comes to looking around you in the game.

Although Dangerous Hunts 2013 received positive reviews on the sound performance, with good voice acting and excellent ambient sounds, the graphics are sadly disappointing. Environmental animations are virtually nonexistent, giving the landscape a "painted" feeling.

There is a two player mode called "Maneater" that received better ratings by critics than the game did overall, with many saying that it is the only part of the game that is playable.

In essence, Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2013 is a first person shooter clothed in the guise of a hunting game. As long as you know that when you buy it, it isn't absolutely terrible. However, it certainly can't stand up to any of the franchise first person shooting games that dominate the Wii console.